Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-09
CHAPTER XIII.
THE LAST HOPE.

HE LAOI dOfE
 We crouched down as well as we could in the tender while passing Ringgold that the enemy might not see our number, and when beyond the town we arose and looked about us. The country was mostly wooded and rough, being much cut up by the branches of the swollen Chickamauga creek. We had no fuel, though we might have taken on few water soaked fence rails and broken them to burn; but what would have been the use? Every com bustible scrap was carefully gathered up and thrown into the engine. Worst symp- tom of all, large pair of saddle bags, which we had never seen Andrews with out from the time of the midnight confer ence, together with his cap and some other pieces of clothing that he did not need for immediate use, were flung re- morselessly into the furnace Various papers went along. These were probably documents that he feared would compro- mise himself or others in case of capture. Such preparations were indeed ominous. But his next command-the last he ever gave to us as party-was more dreadful still, and for the first time that day there shot pang of mortal terror to my heart. Not the crash of the engine down an en- bankment nor the coming of another
  ting us between two fires, would have caused such sense of despair and hope less misery to steal over me. This was the order which, as intimated before, our party, had they been properly organized, would not have obeyed.
 For our situation was still far from des- perate. Aside from the capture of the pursuing train, which would now have been very difficult from the fact that we had neither fuel for rapid running, nor the Instructions on board that were nec- essary to place us far enough ahead for an ambuscade, there was nothcr plan to which our leader Was GVIr tually pledged, which presented every prospect of ssa,i.4s our own lives, though it was now too late to accomplish our original purpose. We were some five miles beyond Ringgold, within mile of Graysville, or nineteen miles by the longest railway course from Chattanooga, From that city westward to Bridgeport was twenty eight miles fur ther. But the nearest way to Bridgeport was not through Chattanooga, but fur ther south, and by that route it was not distant more than thirty-fve or forty miles. The direct course was at right angles with the numerous mountain ranges which here run almost north and south, route over which cavalry could not be used, and which was known to more than one of our party. Two com rades had pocket compasses which would have guided us in thick woods or in cloudy weather by day or night. Now to delaying to seek concealment, to have struck over the streams and mountains at right angles, as rapidly as we could go, would have been our most hopeful course Long before night of the next day we would have been safe within Mitchel's lines! Why not2 How could the enemy have captured us? If they sent cavalry, these would necessarily have made long circuits and have been obliged to adhere to the lines of the road, and thus could not have come near us while clinging to the valleys and the mountain sides. Even in thick woods they could not have overtaken us. If they followed us with strong party on foot, we fleeing for our lives, would not have deserved to escape, if we could not have held our distance for forty miles or more. If they had ridden ahead and raised the whole country for 8 general man hunt, they would have had only twenty -four hours or less to organize it, and no small party then could have ar rested twenty armed men. In fine, this plan of escape through mountainous and densely wooded country did not ap- l pear to me to be more dangerous than a cavalry dash on the lines of the enemy's communications-an every day military affair. Even if Mitchell did not prove to be in the neighborhood of Bridgeport when we arrived, we would then have been in the loyal mountainous district 1 where we would have met as many friends l as foes. All that we needed in the way of provisions and guides our force would have enabled us to command, and even guns and ammunition could readily have been gathered on our way.
 But all these advantages depended on our keeping together under one head. An army scattered and disorganized is lost; and our little army was no exception. The fatal command which Andrews now